MLB Player News

Llovera was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

After being called up May 16, Llovera appeared in five games, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He will now return to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday and wait for another shot to prove himself in the big-leagues.

De Los Santos allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two across a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday against the Rockies.

De Los Santos made his big-league debut and worked the ninth inning in a non-save situation. Though he allowed two baserunners, De Los Santos also induced two swinging strikeouts. David Bednar is locked in as the closer for the Pirates, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see De Los Santos inserted into high-leverage situations in the near future.

Williams recorded his fourth save of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Padres, working a perfect ninth inning without a walk or a strikeout.

With Josh Hader (bereavement list) still away from the team, Williams pitched for a third straight day and picked up his second straight save, although his fatigue showed in the fact that he failed to strike out a batter for the first time all year. The right-hander will likely be unavailable Thursday to begin a weekend series in St. Louis, but Williams should be back in his high-leverage role soon enough. He has two wins, four saves and 11 holds in 20 appearances to go along with his 3.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 33:11 K:BB through 18 innings.

Rainey gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 1-0 win over the Dodgers.

It wasn't the sharpest outing, as Rainey needed 19 pitches (10 strikes) to work his way through the bottom of the Los Angeles order, but he was able to get the job done and pick up his first save since April 19 after blowing his first two chances in May. The right-hander will carry a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB through 12.2 innings into his next appearance.

Littell pitched a perfect inning in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Mets.

Littell has struggled for much of May. He's allowed 11 runs on 18 hits and two walks across 10.2 innings in his nine appearances this month after keeping runs off the board in all six of his April outings. The right-hander's struggles have left him with a 5.94 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 16.2 innings. He's added two holds and an 0-1 record, but he's seen mostly low-leverage work lately.

Szapucki (0-1) allowed nine earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two across 1.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Giants.

Szapucki was called up to make his first big-league start to fill an opening in the rotation after the Mets had a doubleheader over the weekend. However, he was crushed for four home runs prior to being yanked after recording just four outs. Szapucki will likely find himself back at Triple-A Syracuse in the coming days, where he has maintained a 2.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 30:9 K:BB across 22 innings.

Junis (2-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Mets.

Junis was handed a nine-run lead after two innings, and he held the Mets in check thanks to nine groundball outs. The primary damage against him came in the sixth inning when Francisco Lindor took him yard for a solo home run. However, Junis still managed to record his first quality start of the campaign, and his first win since April 22. Overall, Junis has maintained a 2.76 ERA and 24:5 K:BB across 32.2 innings.

Bender (back) was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to May 23, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Bender hasn't pitched since May 18, and he's apparently been dealing with a back injury that has kept him out of action. He'll be sidelined until at least early June, while Cole Sulser, Dylan Floro and Anthony Bass should continue to see the majority of high-leverage work in Bender's absence.

The Mets recalled Szapucki from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of his scheduled start Wednesday against the Giants in San Francisco, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

New York optioned reliever Stephen Nogosek to the minors to make room on the 26-man active roster for Szapucki, who will likely just be making a spot start for the Mets before heading back to Syracuse. Over his seven starts at Syracuse this season, Szapucki has maxed out at five innings and has turned in a 2.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 23.1 K-BB%.

White is listed as the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks in Arizona, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

White will stay in the rotation for a second turn despite being lit up for three runs on three hits and a walk over 2.1 innings in his first start last weekend in Philadelphia. Since he had previously been working out of the bullpen, White was pulled after throwing just 49 pitches against the Phillies, so he shouldn't be expected to work deep into Thursday's outing. If White sticks in the rotation beyond Thursday, however, he should be capable of handling a traditional starter's workload.